First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond outside his home in Strichen, Scotland, after announcing that he will be standing down as first minister following the Yes campaign defeat in the Scottish independence referendum. Photo: PA

Defeated Scottish nationalist chief Alex Salmond accused Britain’s political leaders yesterday of tricking Scots out of independence after a dispute about how and when to give them more powers.

Salmond, who is stepping down as leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) after failing to persuade Scots to leave the United Kingdom, accused Britain’s three main political parties of winning last Thursday’s referendum by 55-45 per cent by making a false promise of new powers.

“I think the vow was something cooked up in desperation for the last few days of the campaign and I think everyone in Scotland now realises that,” said Salmond, referring to a pledge by Prime Minister David Cameron and other leaders before the vote to rapidly expand Scottish autonomy in the event of a No.

“It is the people who were persuaded to vote No who were misled, who were gulled, who were tricked effectively,” Salmond told BBC TV, saying he thought the last-minute promise had swayed the referendum’s outcome.

Cameron now says he wants to stop Scots lawmakers voting on English issues in Parliament

If Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum pledged by Cameron in 2017, Salmond suggested that independence-minded Scots might push for another breakaway vote.

All three main parties are united in wanting to transfer new powers, over tax, spending and welfare, to Scotland. But with eight months before a national election, Cameron’s Conservatives have become embroiled in a rancorous row with the opposition Labour party about when and how that might happen.

Britain’s PM David Cameron has suddenly linked new powers for Scotland to agreeing new constitutional arrangements for the rest of Britain at the same time. Photo: Reuters

The dispute overshadowed the start of Labour’s annual conference in Manchester, the last before next year’s national election, where leader Ed Miliband is hoping to shift the political debate onto his vision for a society where wealth and opportunity is shared more equally.

Instead, Miliband was forced to clarify his position on more powers for Scotland and found himself engaged in what many voters are likely to perceive as a grubby party political spat.

Cameron, under pressure from some of his own lawmakers who represent English constituencies and whose own electoral hopes are threatened by the UK Independence Party (Ukip), last Friday suddenly linked new powers for Scotland to agreeing new constitutional arrangements for the rest of Britain, including England, at the same time.

In particular, he said he wanted to stop Scots lawmakers voting on English issues in Parliament, a matter he said should be the preserve of those representing English areas.

His promise reflected fears inside his party that Scotland, which already has its own Parliament and a large measure of devolution, was set to be given greater autonomy and continue to receive greater funding per head than the rest of Britain whereas England, the largest part of the United Kingdom, was not in line to receive any concessions.